Watercolor Quilt

During college in the 1980s, I made friends with a student from a Mennonite family. She had made 15 quilts by the time she entered college. I went home with her one weekend, and her mom showed me a big cabinet filled with quilts. I thought they were so cool, and started researching and getting into the history of quilts. When I graduated, I asked my friend to teach me how to make one. I also took a quilt restoration class through the International Quilt Museum at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

People often have a very folksy or traditional image of quilting, and I want to challenge that notion. Mine tend to be a bit more artsy. This is called a watercolor or color-wash quilt, and is fashioned after the watercolor paintings of Claude Monet. I made it for an Admissions colleague who’d just finished her degree. It’s really fun, because the technique is like painting but with fabric. I’m not an artist — I can’t even draw a snowman — but I love the color combinations, so I’m drawn to the watercolor style.

When making commemorative quilts, especially from a deceased loved one’s clothing, I am entering into this sacred space with the person who wants me to make it. It’s heavy stuff because they and sometimes other family members contribute clothing, and it’s part of the grieving process for them. When I finish and present it to them, it’s incredibly moving to see them react. I’ve also done about five wedding-dress quilts. It’s very nerve-wracking to cut a wedding dress because you have to be careful not to make a mistake. Once you cut, you can’t go back.

People are often amazed by my quilts, but in my head I’m always thinking, “No, you don’t understand; this is therapy for me. This is my happy place.”

— As told to Eveline Chao